Improvement in glass-flattening furnaces and leers



` NIT- E7 STATES y JAMESVCLABBY, vor,` LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS.

`-\ilvleuovrlvlENT'IN GLA-ss-FLATTENING FuRNAoEs AND LEERS.

A Specification ,forming part of Letters Ivatent No.v 112,322, datedMarch 7,1871.

:To all 07am/mit concern:

i `Be it known that I, JAMES CLABBY, of LenoX,`in the county ofBerkshire and State 1 of Massachusetts, have invented an ImprovedkGlass-FlatteningFurnace and Leer; andl. do l hereby `declarethat thefollowing, taken in connection withnthe` drawing which `accompanies andfor-ms part of this specification, is -a description of my inventionsufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to certain improvementsin the `manufacture ofsheets of glass, with particular reference to the processH offlattening, annealing, and cooling the plates or sheets. l, l f

My improvement consists, first, in combining with the flattening-ovenandannealingoven `and 4a car-track running fromone to the other a movablecar-table or transfer-table, and a side oven or chamber, so arrangedthat, after the flattening-stone is charged with i a cylinder7 from themain furnace, (and the glass has been flattenedon the flattening-stonewhich liesontop of the car,) it may be run through into the piling orannealing chamber,

` and the transfer-table,with an emptycar from the side chamber, maythenbe brought into line with the track leadingfrom the iiattening-oven tothe annealing-oven, so that it may be wheeledforward to receive a freshcylinder at the front of the oven, the 4fear in the annealing-oven beingrelieved from its annealed plate andwheeled forward opposite the sidechamber and upon the change-table, and beingthen wheeled into saidchamber, leaving the" track free for passage' of the loaded car fromtheflattening-oveninto the annealingoven, after which thetable is againmoved "forward, with the car inthe side chamber, so that this car maycome into line with the track and be drawn forward to the front of thefiat-l tening-oven to receive a new cylinder.

The invention also consists incombining l with the flattening andannealing oven a long cooling oven or chamber provided with a railway,by which box-cars may be moved through it, and with a series ofverticaldampvers or movable partitions, by which the-oven can be sosubdivided as to maintain the diff' ferent parts of the oven at varyingtemperatures, gradually decreasing fromthe receiving to the opposite anddeliv- The invention also consists in Ymaking the cranes, and a seriesof swing foot-pieces, by means of which the sheets of glass may be stoodin nearly vertical position in lots or piles',77 separated from eachother, so that each pile stands independently of the others.

in making the flattening-oven with a double arch, in such manner thatthe llames and volatile productsof combustion, before entering the oven,pass over the arch forming the oventop, and then into the oven at oneside, or through one of the vertical walls thereof, by which means thecinders 'and ashes are deposited upon the arch, orat the outer side ofthe oven-wall, before they can enter the oven,

these matters upon the glass, and thereby se` other blemishes.

and ovens embodying my improvements.

toward the front end or the flattening-oven. B is a similar perspectivefrom the opposite end, the walls in both views being more or ovens. C isa sectional plan; D, a vertical leer.

ing-oven, Oris an end continuation of the same, and through the twoovens (considered as'one) a car-track, f, extends.

Opposite to that part of the track midway between the two ends, orbetween the flattening-oven and annealing-oven, is a side chamber oroven, g, (opening from the ovens c at) Vand the track f is provided witha shifting table, h, and double vtracks 'i in line with this oven g, thetable having beneath it a gear-rack, 7c, into which meshes a pinion, Z,on a shaft, j,

its track to be so moved as to carry one track (and the car thereon)into the oven g, and at the same time bring the other track into lineare two cars formed to run over the tracks.

m denotes one-'of these cars, and u the other;

packing-caror car-box with a series of swing- Another feature of theinvention consists this improvement preventing thedeposit of i curingglass more free from scratches and The drawing represents a set offurnaces A shows an isometrical perspective, looking less broken away toexpose the interior of the section on the line x x. E are views of oneof the piling cars or boxes. va cdenote the walls; b-themain furnace; c,the atteningc oven; d, the annealing or piling oven; e, the

The annealing-oven opens out of the flattenrotation of the shaftenabling the table with l with the main track in the ovens c d. ThereThe car m is shown in position (just behind the oven-door o) to receivethe cylinder from This leaves the track clear for passage of the loadedcarm from the flattening-oven c through into the annealing and pilingoven d. As soon as the car m has reached the annealing-oven, the trackis free for movement of the table h and its discharged car n back intoline with the main tracks,which being effected, the discharged. car isbrought forward into the flattening-oven to receive a new cylinder fromthe furnace. It will readily be seen that by this method of procedure,while the operation of discharging one car at one end of the track isprogressing, the other car may be brought forward to the other end ofthe track (or into the iattening-oven) and charged, the two operationsthus progressing simultaneously and enbling all the heat of theflattening-oven to be utilized.

Adjacent to the discharge-door of the annealing-oven is the entrance sof the leer or cooling-oven. As each sheet of glass is removed from thecar n, (at the door of the annealing-wem) it is placed in a piling-box,t, said box being providedwith a car-truck, which enables it to wheelalong a track, a, in the car. This car (shown at E) is made withprovision to receive a large number of sheets-Say from one hundred toone hundred and fty arranged in standing piles or assemblages, which areslightly inclined to keep them in steady position. As the pressure ofthe whole number of sheets in one box would cause great breakage, Iarrange them in piles, separated from each other by means of interveningswinging arms or cranes o and foot-pieces w, each arm c being hinged toone side wall of the box, so that it can be swung in against the wall,and each piece w to the licor, so that it can be turned down. When thebox is empty and ready for packing, the arms o are all swung in againstthe wall, and the pieces w are turned down to the floor. The irst sheetof flattened and annealed glass is then carefully transferred from theflattening-stone in the annealing-oven d to the rear end of the box andstood up against the end wall. The next sheet from the nextflattening-stone is laid against the first, and so on until the rearspace is sufficiently packed. Then the inner arm or crane c is swung outand across the box, its free end lodging on a bar, x, and against a stopor shoulder on said bar. The inner foot-piece w is then turned up,suitable stops arresting it when it reaches a vertical position. Asuitable number of sheets are then packed in the box, standing againstthe inner arm o and inner foot-piece w. Then the next arm and foot-pieceare swung into position, and so on until the car or box is filled, thedivision of the whole charge into piles, each pile separated from theothers, so that no one pile can press upon another, insuring the safetyof all the sheets from breakage while cooling and under the movementsofthe piles, car, or box. The car being thus filled, its door is closed,and the car is then wheeled into the adjacent end of the leer orcooling-oven e. This end of the oven has afurnaee beneath it, and'itstemperature is kept but little lower than the temperature of theannealing-oven. At the rear of the front oven, on the front part of thecooling-oven, is a damper, c2, that divides the oven from a compartment,b2, beyond, and at the opposite end of the compartment b2 is anotherdamper, c2, that divides the compartment b2 from a similar compartment,d?, beyond. At the rear end of this last compartment is still anotherdamper, e2; separating compartment cl2 from the compartment f 2, whichforms the opposite end of the coolingoven. Each of these dampers forms amovable end wall to its compartment, and each slides vertically, so thatby raising it the two adjacent compartments may be joined, and bylowering it they may be separated. The loaded car or box being chargedor piled,77 it is run into the front end of the leer or coolingoven, thefirst damper, a2, being down, and the front oven-door being shut duringthe process of loading or piling the next car. Vhen the second car isready, the 'damper a2 is raised and the first car is drawn or pushedthrough into the second cooling-compartment, b2, and the damper a3 isthen lowered. Then the front door of the oven is opened, and thelast-piled car is wheeled into the oven and the door is closed. W'henanother ear is ready, the dampers a2 and e? are raised and the two carsinthe cooling-oven are advanced-the first one into the compartment di,and the last one into the compartment bZ-and the two dampers are againlowered. This leaves the front compartment ready for reception of thelast-piled car. When another ear is ready, all three of the dampers areraised and the three cars are advanced, and the fourth car is placed inthe coolingoven. The heat is so conducted through the series ofcooling-ovens that their temperature is regularly graduated, the frontoven being the hottest, and of a temperature but little less that of theannealing-oven, the compartment b2 being of less temperature than thefront oven, compartment d2 of less temperature than b2, and so onthrough the series of compartments, whichare of such number and suchrespective temperature that when the car reaches the last one the glassis sufficiently cooled for removal, the car being wheeled out of the enddoor, x2, onto a suitable track, to be discharged.

In most glass-furnaces (for making sheetdouble'arch,

glass) the main `furnace opens directlyinto the `flattening-oven, andthe glass upon the flatteningstone is moreor less covered with anddefaced and injured `by the weighty products .of combustion or foreignmatters carried with the iiames, (ashes, fnefcol, sand, &c.,) which lfall upon and adhere to the glass. `To prevent this result, I form thefurnace vand oven with a the upperarch, h2, the'top of the furnace-flue,t 4"2, the' liue oname space extending directly over the oven, and thendown vertically,- and t opening into the sidet of -the flattening-oventhrough openings k2( Thus, while the oven is heated at its sides andover its top, no deposits y f can fall upon the glass, such depositslodging upon the top of the lower arch, from which they -Inay be removedwhen the oven is empty or not in operation.

l. In combination with the iiattening and annealing ovens, 4the railway,shifting table,

and tracks, (placed between such ovens,) and the cooling-oven into whichthe cars are alternatelyrun, substantially as described. t

as seen'at D, the lower arch, y, forming the top ofthe flattening-oven,and

2. The piling boX or car made with pro l vision for piling the sheetsvertically, and so that the several piles shall stand independently eachfrom the others, substantially as described.

3. Inl combination with the flattening and `I annealing ovens, thecooling-oven made with a series of compartments inline and separatedeach from the adjacent ones by a damper or dampers, substantially asshown and described.

4. In combination with the main furnace and the flattening-oven, thearch g2, forming, with the roof, a -flue extending directly over theoven, said flue extending down the opposite' side of the oven from thefurnace and openinginto the oven through the openings, substantially asshown and described.

hi JAMEs cLABBY.

mark.

Witnesses:

OLIVER PEcK, `GEORGE F. NEALE.

